Departments: Renewable Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much energy in kilowatt hours was purchased by his Department from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs purchased a total of 45,968,886 kilowatt hours from renewable sources in 2005-06. This equates to 63 per cent. of its total electricity and 27 per cent. of its total energy consumed.
	Cross Government targets mandate Departments to source at least 10 per cent. of its electricity from renewable sources by 2008.

Homelessness: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless people there were in  (a) Hartlepool constituency and  (b) Tees Valley sub-region in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level, in respect of households rather than people. There are five local authorities in the Tees Valley sub-region: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. The constituency of Hartlepool comprises the local authority of Hartlepool.
	Information reported each quarter by local authorities about their activities under homelessness legislation includes the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty.
	The duty owed to an accepted household is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. The number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by the councils under homelessness legislation, as at the end of each quarter, is reported by local authorities, and includes both those households who have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty, and those for which inquiries are pending.
	This data is published in our quarterly statistical release on Statutory Homelessness, which includes a Supplementary Table showing the breakdown of key data, including acceptances and temporary accommodation, by each local authority. This is published on our website and placed in the Library each quarter.
	Since 1998, information has also been collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also published on our website, by local authority.
	Summary tables showing the total number of households (a) accepted under homelessness provisions and (b) in temporary accommodation, from 1997-98 to 2005-06, and (c) rough sleeper estimates from 1998 onwards, for each local authority (including those within the Tees Valley sub-region), were placed in the Library in response to the answer given on 23 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 1663-64W, to my hon. Friend the Member for the Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane).

Cuba: Political Prisoners

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made on the judicial process in Cuba and the provision of legal representation for defendants.

Geoff Hoon: The UK will continue to seek opportunities to raise human right issues, including judicial processes, with the Cuban authorities, despite the limited contact granted to us by the Cuban Government. On 30 April my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. McCartney) expressed concern about political prisoners and other human rights issues during a meeting with the Cuban Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade, Antonio Carricarte. In addition, officials regularly voice UK concern with their Cuban counterparts over such issues.

EC Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many European Union Directives have been transposed into UK law in the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: Individual Government Departments are responsible for transposing EU Directives into UK law in their policy areas. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not transpose EU Directives. Transposition notes stating all the main elements of individual EU Directives that have been or will be transposed into UK law are available in the Library of the House.
	EU Directives may be directly applicable, implemented by administrative means, or introduced when domestic legislation is amended for other purposes. The European Communities Act 1972 (the EGA) allows the Government to implement EU Directives either by primary legislation or by secondary legislation.
	Standard Note SN/IA/2888, which is available in the Library of the House, gives information on the number of Statutory Instruments (S.I.) enacted under the EGA in each parliamentary session and the proportion of the total number of S.I.s this represents. Between 1998 and 2005 an average of 8.9 per cent. of S.I.s were laid in order to implement EU legislation.

Child Support Agency: Genetics

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many DNA samples have been taken by or, on behalf of, the Child Support Agency (CSA) in each year since its inception; in what circumstances and on what grounds the CSA may require someone to take a DNA test; how many DNA tests resulted in maintenance being demanded from those tested; how and by whom any DNA data obtained by the CSA is stored; for how long such data is stored; and to which other departments, agencies or authorities it may be made available.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 3 May 2007:
	In reply your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many DNA samples have been taken by or on behalf of the Child Support Agency (CSA) in each year since its inception; in what circumstances and on what ground the CSA may require someone to take a DNA test; how many DNA tests resulted in maintenance being demanded from those tested; how and by whom any DNA data obtained by the CSA is stored; for how long such data is stored; and to which other departments agencies or authorities it may be made available.
	The Child Support Agency does not require DNA tests to be carried out but may suggest a DNA test in cases where the parentage of a qualifying child is disputed. The parent with care and alleged non-resident parent must consent to such a test, as must the qualifying child if he or she is over the age of 16. If the alleged non-resident parent refuses to take a DNA test, the Agency may assume parentage and proceed accordingly.
	The information requested concerning the number of DNA tests undertaken on behalf of the Child Support Agency is provided in the attached table. However information is unavailable prior to 1997/8 and the Agency does not record information on how many DNA Tests result in the pursuit of maintenance from those tested. We do know that on average since 1997/98 around 84% of tests return a positive result and it may therefore be reasonable to assume that in these cases a maintenance assessment will be undertaken. We do not have figures on how many of these assessments result in a positive maintenance assessment and are subsequently pursued as there may also be other circumstances in which maintenance is not pursued, for example, if the parent with care requests the case be closed.
	DNA samples are stored in a secure environment by the Agency's contractor. Access to the data is restricted to laboratory staff, and managed by swipe card access controlled doors, alongside a number of other security measures. The case data is retained by the contractor for 3 months, and case records are kept for 1 year after the case has been resolved, after which they are destroyed by shedding and incineration.
	Finally the CSA does not routinely share data relating to individual DNA tests with any other Departments, Agencies or authorities.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of DNA tests undertaken on behalf of the Agency 
			   Number of tests taken 
			 1997-98 3,750 
			 1998-99 4,173 
			 1999-2000 3,317 
			 2000-01 2,938 
			 2001-02 2,346 
			 2002-03 4,146 
			 2003-04 2,444 
			 2004-05 2,888 
			 2005-06 2,454 
			  Note: CSA clerical MI is used from 1997/98 to 2001/02 for the umber of tests taken. MI from the DNA test contractor is used from 2002/03 onwards for the number of tests taken.

Departments: Training

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1064W, on Departments training, how much was spent on training away days for departmental staff in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: Information on training away days are not classified separately from other learning and would be scheduled as an event along with other courses. Attendance at external events will have been recorded by individuals on their learning history. This information cannot be downloaded centrally. Obtaining this level of information could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Sport England

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Sport England's public service agreement targets are.

Richard Caborn: Sport England, as a non-departmental public body, does not have public service agreements (PSA), but does contribute towards delivery of the following Government PSAs:
	PSA Target 1: To enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by five to 16-year-olds so that the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum increases from 25 per cent. in 2002 to 75 per cent. in 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008; and to at least 75 per cent. in each School Sport Partnership by 2008 (joint target between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES)).
	PSA Target 2: To halt the year on year increase in obesity among children under 11 years by 2010, as part of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole (joint target between DCMS, DfES and Department for Health).
	PSA Target 3: By 2008, increase the takeup of cultural and sporting opportunities by adults and young people aged 16 and above from priority groups by:
	Increasing the number who participate in active sports at least 12 times a year by 3 per cent. and increasing the number who engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity level sport, at least three times a week by 3 per cent.

Sports: Schools

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of school children took part in a minimum of two hours of PE or sport per week in school time in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The joint DCMS/DfES National School Sport Strategy which aimed to increase the percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds spending at least two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport to 75 per cent. by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008 within and beyond the curriculum, commenced on the 1 April 2003.
	Progress against the target for children in School Sport Partnerships is measured annually using the National School Sport Survey. The Survey has demonstrated that 62 per cent. of school children achieved this target in 2003-04; 69 per cent. in 2004-05 and 80 per cent. in 2005-06.
	No data is available prior to the implementation of the strategy.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2007,  Official Report, column 746W, on Members: correspondence, when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay of 14 March on the proposed independent sector treatment centre for Basildon.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 30 April 2007
	I will respond to the letter of 14 March from the hon. Member for Billericay shortly.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1045W, on Members: correspondence, when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay of 8 March concerning Mr. O'Reilly.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 30 April 2007
	The Department received a copy of the letter from the hon. Member on 26 April 2007. A reply was issued on 2 May 2007.

Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 132W, on Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust, how many administrative staff there are in the Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows the staffing figures as at September 2006 (which is the latest data available within the Department).
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: administrative staff in the Mid-Essex primary care trust( 1)  by level  as at 30 September 2006 
			   2005( 1)  2006 
			  Headcount   
			 Total administrative staff 365 342 
			 Senior manager 18 19 
			 Manager 56 51 
			 Clerical and administrative 291 272 
			
			  Full-time equivalent   
			 Total administrative staff 283 264 
			 Senior manager 18 18 
			 Manager 52 47 
			 Clerical and administrative 213 199 
			 (1) Mid-Essex PCT was formed on 1 October 2006 from a complete merger of Chelmsford PCT, Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT and Waltham, Baintree and Halstead care trust. 2005 figures are an aggregate of these three predecessor organisations, provided for the purposes of comparison. Due to various complex issues, it is not possible to directly compare previous staffing levels with those of the newly formed PCT—as not all local authority boundaries are not co-terminus with those of PCT.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

NHS: Negligence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many claims for alleged clinical negligence against the NHS were closed in each year since 1995; what the cost was of such claims in each year in  (a) nominal and  (b) real terms; and how many and what proportion of such claims were successful in each year.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 23 April 2007
	 Information on closed claims is presented within the following tables.
	Table 1 shows how many clinical negligence claims have been closed by year since 1995, and includes what proportion of such claims were closed with damages (successful).
	Table 2 shows the costs of closed clinical negligence claims by year since 1995 in nominal and real terms.
	The following points should be noted:
	The tables only include closed claims. It therefore excludes claims which are open but resolved for example, where the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) are still negotiating legal fees or where there is an ongoing obligation to make payments to the patient, such as where a periodic payment regime exists.
	Category A claims are lower value claims that were handled by individual trusts up to 2002, and were reported to NHSLA upon completion. The NHSLA cannot account for the accuracy of the reported data.
	Similarly, until 2000, individual trusts handled and funded existing liabilities scheme (ELS) claims less than 10,000 themselves. However these claims were never notified to the NHSLA on completion. Hence any of these smaller valued claims which closed prior to the ELS call-in in April 2000 will be missing from the data.
	Table 2 shows the total value of the claims which closed in the year in question but the actual payments may have been spread over several financial years.
	The real terms figures in table 2 are calculated using the deflator series provided by HM Treasury on 28 March 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of clinical negligence claims closed by year of closure including category A claims 
			   Number of claims 
			  Year of closure  Closed—nil damages  Closed with damages  Total closed  % Closed with damages 
			 1995-96 90 11 101 10.89 
			 1996-97 175 60 235 25.53 
			 1997-98 218 731 949 77.03 
			 1998-99 1,713 2,344 4,057 57.78 
			 1999-2000 2,794 3,771 6,565 57.44 
			 2000-01 3,822 3,080 6,902 44.62 
			 2001-02 4,995 3,761 8,756 42.95 
			 2002-03 3,981 2,939 6,920 42.47 
			 2003-04 4,043 3,140 7,183 43.71 
			 2004-05 4,101 3,501 7,602 46.05 
			 2005-06 3,146 3,333 6,479 51.44 
			 2006-07 3,330 3,208 6,538 49.07 
			 Grand total 32,408 29,879 62,287 47.97 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2:  Value of clinical negligence claims closed by year of closure including category A claims 
			   Payments 
			  Year of closure  Damages paid  Defence costs paid  Claimant costs paid  Total paid  Total paid in real terms with 2005-06 as reference year 
			 1995-96 170,028 56,476 68,016 294,520 378,551 
			 1996-97 1,063,160 363,379 342,282 1,768,821 2,199,451 
			 1997-98 36,541,852 7,065,903 10,353,934 53,961,690 65,203,410 
			 1998-99 75,560,281 21,541,336 26,922,960 124,024,578 146,146,822 
			 1999-2000 285,740,566 42,490,778 64,751,113 392,982,457 453,900,434 
			 2000-01 187,053,823 35,708,422 44,260,552 267,022,797 304,140,048 
			 2001-02 374,545,865 56,642,017 72,446,479 503,634,360 560,340,855 
			 2002-03 357,000,453 48,001,443 62,273,578 467,275,474 504,284,946 
			 2003-04 279,212,845 43,286,729 58,283,364 380,782,938 399,076,610 
			 2004-05 375,299,535 52,815,271 76,055,705 504,170,511 514,213,093 
			 2005-06 372,820,500 49,598,018 83,232,436 505,650,954 505,650,954 
			 2006-07 332,747,955 49,735,584 83,793,055 466,276,595 455,001,654 
			 Grand total 2,677,756,865 407,305,356 582,783,474 3,667,845,695 3,910,536,828

Ex-servicemen: Health Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Government takes to ensure that war pensioners receive priority treatment on the NHS for their accepted disablements; what systems the Government has in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these measures; and how many war pensioners were given priority treatment on the NHS for their accepted disablements in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: NHS hospitals should give priority to war pensioners, both as out-patients and in-patients, for examination or treatment relating to their pensioned disablement, subject to clinical priority. Reminders about priority treatment for war pensioners are circulated by the health services to senior NHS managers who are tasked to ensure that relevant clinical staff are aware.There is no formal system to monitor or evaluate the provision, but officials take up cases with the relevant health authority where it is alleged that there is an issue around provision of priority treatment. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency monitor these cases. The Ministry of Defence and its Service Personnel and Veterans Agency do not keep records of those war pensioners who receive priority treatment for their accepted disablements; this is a matter for the Department of Health.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for members of Royal Welsh Regiments 1 and 2 to visit friends and families before deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The First and Second Battalion the Royal Welsh will be deploying to both Afghanistan and Iraq this year (in the case of the Second Battalion the Royal Welsh the entire unit will deploy to Iraq; the First Battalion the Royal Welsh will send troops to both theatres).Generally, commanders will ensure that troops that are about to deploy receive up to three consecutive weeks leave during the two months prior to deployment.The First Battalion the Royal Welsh (1 RW) is based permanently in Cyprus, and in most cases spouses and children are located with the unit. The elements of 1 RW who will be deploying have already had their pre-deployment leave (Friday 30 March to Wednesday 18 April). However, a handful of personnel were not able to take this in full owing to operational commitment. Arrangements are in place for those affected to return to their home base and receive the balance of leave owed shortly after the unit arrives in theatre.The Second Battalion the Royal Welsh (2 RW) is based in Tidworth, Wiltshire. 2 RW have been on leave since after duties on Friday 30 March and returned to work on Monday 23 April.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Joint Combat Aircraft to be available for service with the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 1 May 2007
	 As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Equipment and Support stated in the other place on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column WA8, we will not be setting in-service dates for the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) until we take the main investment decision, and we will take that decision when the project is sufficiently mature. Our plans for JCA remain coherent with the CVF programme.

Apprentices: Curriculum

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to involve industry and businesses in the content of apprenticeship courses.

Phil Hope: We have listened to employers and have involved industry and businesses extensively in the development of apprenticeships resulting in improvements to apprenticeship frameworks to keep them up-to-date and to make them more flexible. We will be working ever more closely with employer organisations to deliver the planned apprenticeship entitlement and the Leitch UK target of 500,000 apprentices by 2020. Development of new or revised apprenticeship frameworks for each industry are the responsibility of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Each SSC is an employer led, independent organisation that covers a specific sector across the UK and provides employers with a unique forum to express the skills and productivity needs that are pertinent to the sector. Apprenticeship frameworks therefore reflect employer needs and requirements.
	Frameworks are also submitted to a group of SSC peers for approval and to ensure minimum qualification requirements are met.

Child Care

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is available to support child care for children  (a) with disabilities and  (b) without disabilities.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are investing in a wide range of financial support for child care in England. We are investing some £3 billion each year in the delivery of free part-time nursery education so that all three and four-year-olds can benefit from 12.5 hours a week free early years provision, rising to 15 hours a week by 2010.
	Further funding to support child care is also provided through the General Sure Start Grant (GSSG). This includes supporting child care for disabled children and children with special educational needs (SEN). The GSSG can be used to provide training to staff, enable early education and child care settings to make adaptations to premises and equipment, provide additional staff and support multi-agency working focused on the needs of individual children for example as developed by the Early Support Programme for disabled children and their parents.
	Local authorities have the freedom to decide how much they wish to spend on activity related to disability and SEN within the GSSG based on their knowledge of the local market. In 2007-08, £664 million of revenue funding and £544 million of capital funding is available to local authorities through the GSSG. Local authorities now have a duty through the Childcare Act 2006 to secure sufficient child care provision in their area for all children with a specific focus on provision that is suitable for disabled children.
	Further funding is available to parents through the child tax credit and the working tax credit which was introduced in April 2003. The child care element of the working tax credit is designed to help remove the child care barrier that often prevents people taking up or returning to work. It is available for meeting up to 80 per cent. of the cost of registered or approved child care to a maximum childcare cost of £175 a week for families who pay child care for one child and £300 a week for families who pay child care for two children or more. For parents with disabled children, additional funding to help with the costs of child care is provided through the disability living allowance, the carers allowance and the disability and severe disability elements of the child tax credit. A longer period of help is given to families for children with disability.
	Child care can be subsidised in a variety of other ways including local authority subsidies, Jobcentre Plus New Deals, Care to Learn, Learner Support Funds and NHS child care allowances. The Department supports initiatives with sector organisations such as the National Portage Association and Kids, to raise awareness and change attitudes towards the delivery of services for disabled children. Parents of disabled children can also apply for direct payments from local authorities in some circumstances.

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people are employed by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS), broken down by  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time staff; and what the average length of service is of CAFCASS employees;
	(2)  what the average length of time taken for a case in which a before the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officer was involved to be concluded was in  (a) the last 12 months and  (b) each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 30 April 2007:
	I am writing to you in response to the two Parliamentary Questions that you tabled recently.
	The table below details the number of part-time and full-time staff CAFCASS currently employs.
	
		
			   CAFCASS staff 
			 Full-time 1,405 
			 Part-time 491 
			 Total 1,896 
		
	
	In 2006/07, of the cases that CAFCASS closed, the average duration was as follows:
	
		
			  Cases  Days 
			 Public 334 
			 Private 257 
		
	
	This was the first year CAFCASS could collect these figures, following the introduction of our national case management system. Prior to this, the pre-CAFCASS legacy systems prevented us being able to arrive at a robust national figure.
	A copy of this reply will be placed in the House Library.

Higher Education: Scholarships

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what mechanisms exist for the Office for Fair Access to ensure higher education institutions spend budgeted levels on income-assessed non-repayable bursaries.

Bill Rammell: The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) requires institutions in their annual monitoring returns to report on the amount of spend on bursaries and scholarships disbursed to low income and other under-represented groups. OFFA are then under a statutory duty to provide an annual report to Parliament containing an overview of progress. Monitoring returns are due at the end of the academic year (end of July 2007). OFFA will analyse the returns over the summer and publish a short report on the findings of the monitoring process in autumn/winter 2007.
	OFFA has successfully ensured that all institutions that have chosen to set fees above the basic level have successfully completed an access agreement. As a result these institutions are forecast to deliver in excess of £300 million per year in bursaries to students. I am aware that concerns have been raised about a potential underspend on bursaries in some universities. As I said in the Higher Education debate on 15 March 2007,  Official Report, column 483,
	'I have been monitoring that situation very closely. The overall scale of underspend has been exaggerated in some reports. In several universities, including a significant number in the Russell group, the projections are that there will be no underspend at all.
	Forecasts of spend inevitably carry with them some uncertainty, especially in the first year of an entirely new bursary scheme, and some universities set a high figure for reasons of prudent financial management. I am not in the business of unfairly or unjustly criticising people. OFFA will monitor expenditure and performance annually, and we will have a full picture of year 1 after the relevant monitoring information has been collected this summer.
	At the same time, universities should be doing all they can to ensure that students get the support to which they are entitled. In recent weeks, several vice-chancellors have explicitly said to me that they intend to invest any underspend in their original bursary estimates on other measures to improve social inclusion. One of them told me:
	"The money for bursaries is 'budgeted out'. If it cannot be spent on bursaries, then it will go to support other widening participation projects."
	That is heartening. I would urge all universities forecasting a genuine underspend on bursaries to take that approach.'

Members: Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter of 19 January from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead on the account taken of plans for new homes in Hemel Hempstead constituency in determining the closures and amalgamations of schools in the area;
	(2)  when he will answer the  (a) letter of 19 January 2007 and  (b) question of 8 March 2007 for answer on 13 March 2007 from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead, on the account taken of plans for new homes in Hemel Hempstead constituency in determining the closures and amalgamations of schools in the area.

Jim Knight: holding answers 13 March and 26 April 2007
	I regret that the Department has no record of receiving the hon. Member's letter of 19 January 2007.
	Changes to local school organisation, including school closures and amalgamations, require the publication of statutory proposals which are decided under local decision-making arrangements. Ministers have no role. When taking a decision on proposals, the decision maker must regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State. This guidance sets out a range of factors that should be considered for the different types of proposals. The factors include considering the need for school places, taking into account, pupil number projections.

Schools: Admissions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many admissions appeals were  (a) heard and  (b) successful for pupils in London in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: Data on heard and successful admissions appeals for all local education authorities in England, including those for London and covering the years 1997/98 to 2004/05 (the latest year for which data is available), have been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Asbestos

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school buildings in  (a) England,  (b) Greater London,  (c) the London Borough of Havering and  (d) Romford contain asbestos; and what steps are being taken (i) to remove the asbestos and (ii) to ensure the safety of students and staff.

Jim Knight: We do not keep information on which schools contain asbestos. However, the Health and Safety Executive advise that asbestos was commonly used in buildings constructed between 1945 and 1980. It is a requirement that the duty-holder as defined in the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations keeps records of the location and condition of asbestos in all its buildings. For local authority maintained schools, the local authority as the employer is the duty-holder. The duty-holder is responsible for the safe management of asbestos. Removal is not a requirement and where the location and condition of the asbestos permits, it is often safer to manage the asbestos in-situ. HSE have issued guidance on the safe management and control of asbestos in schools(1).
	(1) http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/schools.pdf

Schools: Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in each local authority area his Department considers to be  (a) low attaining and  (b) under performing.

Jim Knight: There are several ways to define low attainment and underperformance in relation to schools. The House of Commons Education Select Committee report of December 2003 recommended that a distinction should be drawn between low absolute levels of attainment (for example, a performance benchmark such as per cent. five A*-C grades at GCSE) and low performance, which generally involves a value added measure.
	Underperformance is particularly difficult to define with clarity. For example, by definition, 25 per cent. of all schools will appear in the bottom quartile of any performance measure, but the cohort of these schools will change year on year, so such schools are not necessarily persistent underperformers. Therefore, no schools have been formally classified as underperforming by DfES.
	For the purposes of this question, low attaining primary schools are defined as those at which fewer than 65 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved the target level 4 of the national curriculum in both English and mathematics in 2006 and where performance has been below 65 per cent. in both subjects for the previous three years. 65 per cent. is the minimum level set in the Department's floor targets for primary schools.
	Low attaining secondary schools for the purpose of this question are defined as those in which less than 25 per cent. of 15-year-olds achieved five A*-C at GCSE or equivalent in 2006. 25 per cent. is the minimum level set in the Department's floor targets for secondary schools.
	All low attaining schools are subject to support programmes, particularly those provided by the primary and secondary national strategies. Although we have not classified the schools as underperforming we have funded a programme that identified secondary schools that were likely to benefit from the raising attainment in teaching and learning (RAIL) initiative to tackle underperformance. A total of 764 schools are included in RAIL.
	The national strategies are continuing to work with all local authorities in using comparative data to help identify underperforming primary schools and to support them in raising standards of literacy and numeracy through interventions such as the Intensifying Support programme.
	The following table gives the number of schools in each local authority based on the above criteria.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of secondary schools in which less than 25% of pupils achieved 5 A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent in 2006  Number of primary schools in which fewer than 65% of 11-year-olds achieved the target level 4 of the national curriculum in both English and mathematics in 2006 and where performance has been below 65% in both subjects for the previous 3 years  Number of secondary schools which have joined the RAIL programme designed to address potential under performance 
			 Barking and Dagenham — — 3 
			 Barnet — — — 
			 Barnsley — 3 7 
			 Bath and NE Somerset — — — 
			 Bedfordshire 1 — 4 
			 Bexley — 2 2 
			 Birmingham — 8 19 
			 Blackburn — 2 1 
			 Blackpool — — 2 
			 Bolton — — 5 
			 Bournemouth 1 1 4 
			 Bracknell Forest — — 3 
			 Bradford 2 13 6 
			 Brent — 1 — 
			 Brighton — 1 2 
			 Bristol 1 10 3 
			 Bromley — — 2 
			 Buckinghamshire — 3 9 
			 Bury — 1 7 
			 Calderdale 1 — 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 — 6 
			 Camden — 1 — 
			 Cheshire 1 4 12 
			 City of London — — — 
			 Cornwall — 1 4 
			 Coventry — 2 7 
			 Croydon — — 3 
			 Cumbria 2 1 15 
			 Darlington 1 — 3 
			 Derby 1 3 — 
			 Derbyshire — 1 7 
			 Devon 1 4 11 
			 Doncaster — 1 6 
			 Dorset — — 1 
			 Dudley — 1 2 
			 Durham — 1 15 
			 Ealing — — — 
			 East Riding — 1 10 
			 East Sussex — 3 5 
			 Enfield — 2 — 
			 Essex(1) 3 4 16 
			 Gateshead — — 1 
			 Gloucestershire 1 1 6 
			 Greenwich — 2 — 
			 Hackney — 4 — 
			 Halton — 4 3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham — — — 
			 Hampshire 1 2 29 
			 Haringey — 4 1 
			 Harrow — — 1 
			 Hartlepool — — 1 
			 Havering — 1 3 
			 Herefordshire — — 4 
			 Hertfordshire 1 1 17 
			 Hillingdon — — 3 
			 Hounslow — — — 
			 Isle of Scilly — — — 
			 Isle of Wight — — — 
			 Islington — 2 — 
			 Kensington and Chelsea — — 1 
			 Kent 1 13 9 
			 Kingston upon Hull — — 5 
			 Kingston upon Thames — — — 
			 Kirklees 1 6 8 
			 Knowsley — 1 8 
			 Lambeth — 2 — 
			 Lancashire 1 9 15 
			 Leeds 1 5 18 
			 Leicester City — 9 3 
			 Leicestershire — 1 12 
			 Lewisham — 1 — 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 18 
			 Liverpool — 5 4 
			 Luton 1 1 6 
			 Manchester 2 6 5 
			 Medway 2 1 2 
			 Merton — — — 
			 Middlesbrough — — 3 
			 Milton Keynes 1 4 1 
			 Newcastle — 5 3 
			 Newham — — 1 
			 Norfolk — 9 11 
			 North East Lincolnshire — — 3 
			 North Lincolnshire — 1 8 
			 North Somerset — — 6 
			 North Tyneside — — 4 
			 North Yorkshire 1 1 19 
			 Northamptonshire(1) 2 — 16 
			 Northumberland — — 3 
			 Nottingham City(1) 4 3 — 
			 Nottinghamshire — 6 13 
			 Oldham — 2 7 
			 Oxfordshire — 3 15 
			 Peterborough — 2 3 
			 Plymouth — 1 3 
			 Poole 1 — 1 
			 Portsmouth — 4 1 
			 Reading — 3 3 
			 Redbridge — — — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland — — 4 
			 Richmond upon Thames — — — 
			 Rochdale — 1 5 
			 Rotherham — 3 4 
			 Rutland — — 1 
			 Salford — 1 4 
			 Sandwell — 5 11 
			 Sefton — 2 12 
			 Sheffield 2 11 3 
			 Shropshire — — 6 
			 Slough — 2 1 
			 Solihull — — 4 
			 Somerset — 3 6 
			 South Gloucestershire — — 7 
			 South Tyneside — 2 3 
			 Southampton — 1 5 
			 Southend — — 1 
			 Southwark — 1 — 
			 St Helens — — 4 
			 Staffordshire 1 4 27 
			 Stockport — — 4 
			 Stockton-on-Tees(1) 2 1 2 
			 Stoke-on-Trent — 7 10 
			 Suffolk — 3 2 
			 Sunderland — 2 7 
			 Surrey 1 2 26 
			 Sutton — — 1 
			 Swindon 1 1 4 
			 Tameside 1 2 5 
			 Telford and Wrekin — 2 3 
			 Thurrock — 1 — 
			 Torbay — 1 1 
			 Tower Hamlets — — — 
			 Trafford — — 1 
			 Wakefield — 5 6 
			 Walsall 1 4 5 
			 Waltham Forest — 1 — 
			 Wandsworth — 1 — 
			 Warrington — 1 2 
			 Warwickshire —  11 
			 West Berkshire — 2 3 
			 West Sussex — — 14 
			 Westminster — — — 
			 Wigan — — 7 
			 Wiltshire — 2 9 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead — — 5 
			 Wirral — 3 1 
			 Wokingham — — 3 
			 Wolverhampton — 2 7 
			 Worcestershire — 1 5 
			 York — 1 3 
			 Total 47 282 784 
			 (1) Includes one school with fewer than 10 pupils aged 15

Arrests

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) arrests have been made and  (b) charges have been brought by the police since 1997; and how many convictions arose from such charges, broken down by (i) category of offence and (ii) police authority.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 19 March 2007
	 Information is not collected centrally on how cases progress from arrest to prosecution or otherwise. Data collected by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) on arrests are collected separately from data on prosecutions and their outcome. Data on numbers charged are not collected by either OCJR or the Home Office.
	The available data by notifiable offence group are given in tables A1 to A10 for arrests and B1 to B9 for convictions respectively. Arrests data for years prior to 1999-2000 are not available while the data for 2005-06 on both arrests and convictions will be available later this year.
	Care should be taken in interpreting the tables not least because the main offence for which a person is arrested may be different from the one which resulted in a conviction. Also people arrested within a given year will not necessarily have been convicted in the same year.

Immigration Controls

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with representatives of foreign governments on the implications of the proposed new points-based immigration system.

Liam Byrne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office have held two events for the London based diplomatic community to brief them on the points-based immigration system. A Migration Workshop was held on 29 September 2005 and a Migration Seminar took place on 24 March 2006. The foreign press based in London were briefed by Lord Triesman and Tony McNulty on 7 March 2006.

Immigration: EC Enlargement

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether he plans to provide specific information for Scottish local authorities to clarify their duties for homeless EU2 migrants;
	(2)  whether he plans to make available to local authorities in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland information regarding their duties towards EU2 migrants;
	(3)  what steps are being taken to clarify to local authorities the entitlement of EU2 migrants for local authority services, including housing and social services and homelessness assistance, across the UK.

Liam Byrne: Local authorities' responsibilities towards Bulgarian and Romanian nationals are similar to those for other EEA nationals, except with regard to employment, where restrictions have been maintained. Guidance on the rights and responsibilities with respect to work and employment is available on the IND website:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.
	The Scottish Executive has issued a statutory code of guidance to local authorities on EU nationals' eligibility for homelessness assistance in Scotland in. This guidance can be accessed via the Scotland Executive website:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2005.
	The Home Office has not received any requests from local authorities with respect to the employment of Bulgarian and Romanian nationals. Guidance on eligibility for homelessness assistance is available from Communities and Local Government (which applies to England) and the Scottish Executive. Guidance on entitlement to benefits is available from the Department for Work and Pensions.
	Communities and Local Government is working with the Improvement and Development Agency to share good practice on migration from the EU. A national event was held for local authorities, in England, on 21 March and a good practice toolkit will be issued in May 2007.

Immigration: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted leave to remain in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: There were 810 people(1) who were granted leave to remain in Northern Ireland between one April 2006 and 31 March 2007.
	(1) The aforementioned data is not provided under the National Statistics protocols. It shows volumes of applicants granted leave to remain decisions (regardless of application type) made within General Group in Managed Migration. It has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.

Immigration: Telephone Services

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1058W, on immigration: telephone services, how many calls were received by the Border and Immigration Agency MPs' hotline in each year from 2003 to 2006.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 April 2007
	From one June 2003 to 31 December 2003 the Border and Immigration Agency MPs' hotline received 15,728 telephone calls; in 2004 it received 31,393 calls; in 2005 it received 34,338 calls and in 2006 it received 31,749 calls from Members of Parliament, the House of Lords and members of the devolved assemblies.
	Statistical information is only available from one June 2003 onwards.

Police: Crimes of Violence

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is considering introducing to reduce the levels of recorded assaults against  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 20 April 2007
	There have been several recent developments which seek to reduce the levels of recorded assaults against police officers and police community support officers.
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary following collaboration with key stakeholders has recently published a review of officer safety training entitled "Safety matters". This report contains recommendations to assist in the reduction of injuries and is now available for forces to consider and apply. The Health and Safety Executive has been fully consulted and collaborated with HMIC on the development of this paper and supports the report.
	In addition the National Health and Safety Standing Committee recently agreed a joint report on benchmarking standards a "Strategy For a Healthy Police Service" which has been approved by ACPO council, and its implementation is being supported by the National Policing Improvement Agency.
	This sets standards on issues affecting individual health and safety including personal safety training. Each of the major principles will be developed through the ACPO Joint Advisory group on Health, Safety and Welfare. Again there was full consultation with the HSE with regard to this document.
	Also a Fitness Sub Group of the National Recruitment Standards a standing committee of the Police Advisory Board has been established. Emanating from this will be further research on this topic.

Public Order Offences

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many penalty notices for disorder were issued in 2006, broken down by  (a) police force and  (b) offence committed;
	(2)  how many penalty notices for disorder issued in 2006 were paid within 21 days of issue.

Tony McNulty: h olding answer 19 April 2007
	 Provisional data from the Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) Database showing the number of PNDs issued, broken down by offence and police force area, are provided in the tables.
	The figures show that the PND has been an increasingly useful disposal option for the police in tackling low-level antisocial behaviour, providing them with a simple, non-bureaucratic financial punishment. The figures also show a wide variation in the numbers of PNDs issued for the same offence from force to force. This reflects the fact that the extent to which PNDs are used is a mater for individual forces according to their local operational factors and requirements.
	Of the 192,583 PNDs issued in 2006, 74,182 penalties were paid within the 21-day suspended enforcement period (SEP) with a further 26,068 being outside the SEP. 21 days is the minimum period before forces can register a fine against the recipient for not responding to a notice, so forces can accept payments after the SEP for administrative purposes.
	Finalised data for 2006 will be available this summer.
	
		
			  Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over by offence and police force area, England and Wales 2006 provisional data( 1) 
			  Police force area  Total all offences  Total higher tier offences  DA01  Wasting police time  DA02  Misuse of public telecoms system  DA03  Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority  DA04  Causing harassment, alarm or distress 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,876 3,768 76 27 2 1,648 
			 Bedfordshire 1,602 1,571 8 3 0 618 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,346 1,260 21 1 0 429 
			 Cheshire 2,265 2,256 16 4 1 1,225 
			 Cleveland 3,552 3,538 40 9 0 2,015 
			 Cumbria 1,677 1,625 15 5 2 410 
			 Derbyshire 2,537 2,461 66 28 4 616 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6,976 6,685 92 78 8 1,756 
			 Dorset 2,262 2,171 40 3 2 1,241 
			 Durham 1,583 1,559 24 3 2 832 
			 Essex 4,357 4,273 63 22 0 1,998 
			 Gloucestershire 2,654 2,608 78 23 1 1,215 
			 Greater Manchester 10,532 10,437 334 24 15 6,804 
			 Hampshire 4,365 4,258 82 71 2 2,582 
			 Hertfordshire 5,312 5,191 82 86 2 2,628 
			 Humberside 5,385 5,321 75 22 2 2,256 
			 Kent 6,889 6,708 64 34 4 1,204 
			 Lancashire 12,401 12,097 251 53 12 3,004 
			 Leicestershire 2,376 2,337 80 3 2 1,398 
			 Lincolnshire 1,930 1,917 25 16 0 1,213 
			 London, City of 305 301 0 0 0 84 
			 Merseyside 11,269 11,022 183 29 4 3,481 
			 Metropolitan 20,171 18,914 467 31 0 9,652 
			 Norfolk 1,323 1,294 9 0 1 806 
			 North Yorkshire 2,367 2,214 9 1 0 631 
			 Northamptonshire 2,498 2,459 48 8 0 829 
			 Northumbria 6,307 6,232 52 16 3 1,145 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,205 2,164 45 5 2 1,060 
			 South Yorkshire 5,989 5,824 111 19 8 2,263 
			 Staffordshire 3,209 3,056 54 6 3 1,851 
			 Suffolk 1,460 1,427 22 11 0 648 
			 Surrey 2,819 2,634 30 14 0 1,441 
			 Sussex 5,023 4,846 45 25 1 1,577 
			 Thames Valley 6,676 6,598 86 10 3 4,792 
			 Warwickshire 1,016 997 24 4 2 511 
			 West Mercia 3,433 3,359 82 29 2 1,109 
			 West Midlands 7,925 7,714 367 13 9 2,731 
			 West Yorkshire 8,866 8,735 312 52 2 2,466 
			 Wiltshire 1,224 1,138 11 2 0 714 
			 Dyfed Powys 1,353 1,252 28 4 0 571 
			 Gwent 1,908 1,862 49 9 0 610 
			 North Wales 6,049 5,851 139 29 0 2,625 
			 South Wales 5,311 5,188 47 7 0 1,913 
			 England and Wales 192,583 187,122 3,752 839 101 78,602 
		
	
	
		
			   DA05  Throwing fireworks  DA06  Drunk and disorderly  DA11  Criminal damage (under £500)  DA12  Theft (retail under £200)  DA13  Breach of fireworks curfew  DA14  Possession of category 4 firework  DA15  Possession by person under 18 of adult firework 
			 Avon and Somerset 4 176 453 1,318 2 1 0 
			 Bedfordshire 3 293 196 437 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 10 260 147 365 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 4 124 299 527 0 1 3 
			 Cleveland 3 295 461 684 1 0 0 
			 Cumbria 4 686 226 240 1 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 4 660 502 534 1 0 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 41 1,876 924 1,753 3 0 1 
			 Dorset 11 165 235 441 0 0 0 
			 Durham 2 511 110 69 0 0 0 
			 Essex 18 859 337 872 2 1 3 
			 Gloucestershire 11 166 406 662 4 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 63 311 920 1,727 1 3 2 
			 Hampshire 22 501 307 575 0 1 0 
			 Hertfordshire 15 207 696 1,414 0 0 3 
			 Humberside 15 991 696 1,201 0 0 2 
			 Kent 11 1,782 1,131 2,468 1 1 2 
			 Lancashire 24 4,876 1,394 2,242 7 1 2 
			 Leicestershire 1 72 221 488 0 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 16 96 205 272 5 0 1 
			 London, City of 0 190 6 21 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 28 3,222 1,097 2,824 1 3 8 
			 Metropolitan 97 3,114 1,179 4,085 3 5 22 
			 Norfolk 0 88 92 284 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 3 876 306 362 3 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 532 311 689 1 1 3 
			 Northumbria 18 3,929 450 515 1 1 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 4 494 126 184 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 27 2,360 332 540 1 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 32 343 312 359 1 1 3 
			 Suffolk 5 345 140 231 2 0 0 
			 Surrey 2 355 280 469 1 0 0 
			 Sussex 31 1,435 478 1,015 5 0 4 
			 Thames Valley 22 237 447 895 2 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 3 58 167 219 0 3 0 
			 West Mercia 17 680 482 922 1 0 0 
			 West Midlands 28 2,541 610 1,258 0 2 1 
			 West Yorkshire 14 3,737 1,163 873 0 0 1 
			 Wiltshire 6 331 33 18 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 5 286 216 124 0 0 0 
			 Gwent 11 258 271 597 1 1 1 
			 North Wales 24 1,246 538 1,099 1 2 0 
			 South Wales 5 744 752 1,591 0 0 2 
			 England and Wales 664 42,308 19,654 37,463 52 28 68 
		
	
	
		
			   DA16  Sale of alcohol to drunken person  DA17  Supply of alcohol to person under 18  DA18  Sale of alcohol to person under 18  DA19  Purchase alcohol for person under 18  DA20  Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises  DA21  Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 3 54 3 1 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 12 1 0 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 0 24 2 0 4 
			 Cheshire 0 0 49 3 0 1 
			 Cleveland 0 1 23 5 1 0 
			 Cumbria 6 2 21 7 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 1 0 30 9 3 12 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 10 115 27 0 8 
			 Dorset 1 1 25 5 1 0 
			 Durham 0 0 1 5 0 0 
			 Essex 0 0 91 6 1 3 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 39 0 3 3 
			 Greater Manchester 3 1 189 32 8 11 
			 Hampshire 1 2 97 14 1 4 
			 Hertfordshire 0 1 36 19 2 18 
			 Humberside 0 1 47 13 0 4 
			 Kent 1 0 5 0 0 14 
			 Lancashire 4 0 202 22 3 20 
			 Leicestershire 4 0 63 2 2 7 
			 Lincolnshire 0 6 54 7 1 0 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 2 123 14 3 30 
			 Metropolitan 7 4 239 9 0 27 
			 Norfolk 0 0 10 4 0 1 
			 North Yorkshire 1 1 11 10 0 6 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 32 4 1 4 
			 Northumbria 0 0 79 21 2 7 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 0 239 3 1 2 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 153 10 0 29 
			 Staffordshire 4 4 75 6 2 8 
			 Suffolk 0 1 20 2 0 0 
			 Surrey 1 0 33 8 0 3 
			 Sussex 1 0 209 18 2 12 
			 Thames Valley 0 2 95 7 0 4 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 5 1 0 1 
			 West Mercia 0 0 31 3 1 7 
			 West Midlands 0 0 143 10 1 5 
			 West Yorkshire 1 1 104 5 4 2 
			 Wiltshire 3 0 18 2 0 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 12 5 1 0 1 
			 Gwent 0 1 48 4 1 5 
			 North Wales 5 1 81 51 10 24 
			 South Wales 0 0 116 10 1 6 
			 England and Wales 47 57 3,046 385 56 294 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			Lower tier offences 
			   Total lower tier offences  DB03  Trespass on a railway  DB04  Throwing stones at a train/railway  DB05  Drunk in a highway  DB06  old code — Buy alcohol under 16, change to DA19 
			 Avon and Somerset  0 0 64 0 
			 Bedfordshire  1 0 14 0 
			 Cambridgeshire  0 0 67 0 
			 Cheshire  0 0 4 0 
			 Cleveland  0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria  2 0 25 0 
			 Derbyshire  1 0 9 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall  7 2 240 0 
			 Dorset  1 0 9 0 
			 Durham  0 0 23 0 
			 Essex  8 1 33 0 
			 Gloucestershire  0 0 20 0 
			 Greater Manchester  11 0 24 0 
			 Hampshire  4 0 26 0 
			 Hertfordshire  19 0 15 0 
			 Humberside  0 0 14 0 
			 Kent  4 0 113 0 
			 Lancashire  7 0 106 0 
			 Leicestershire  0 0 2 2 
			 Lincolnshire  0 0 0 0 
			 London, City of  0 0 4 0 
			 Merseyside  8 2 58 2 
			 Metropolitan  22 2 586 0 
			 Norfolk  0 0 24 0 
			 North Yorkshire  2 0 131 0 
			 Northamptonshire  0 0 26 0 
			 Northumbria  1 0 10 1 
			 Nottinghamshire  2 0 11 0 
			 South Yorkshire  1 0 10 0 
			 Staffordshire  8 0 87 0 
			 Suffolk  1 0 26 0 
			 Surrey  4 0 168 0 
			 Sussex  10 1 124 0 
			 Thames Valley  2 0 35 0 
			 Warwickshire  0 0 2 0 
			 West Mercia  3 0 24 0 
			 West Midlands  59 0 103 0 
			 West Yorkshire  4 0 77 0 
			 Wiltshire  0 2 73 0 
			 Dyfed Powys  0 0 98 0 
			 Gwent  3 0 11 0 
			 North Wales  18 0 49 0 
			 South Wales  3 0 77 0 
			 England and Wales  216 10 2,622 5 
		
	
	
		
			   Lower tier offences 
			   DB08  Depositing and leaving litter  DB12  Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises  DB13  Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises  DB14  Buying or attempting to buy alcohol for person under 18 
			 Avon and Somerset 19 0 0 1 
			 Bedfordshire 4 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 1 0 0 
			 Cheshire 3 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 9 2 0 0 
			 Cumbria 19 0 0 4 
			 Derbyshire 26 6 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 23 0 0 3 
			 Dorset 21 0 0 1 
			 Durham 1 0 0 0 
			 Essex 31 2 0 1 
			 Gloucestershire 2 2 1 1 
			 Greater Manchester 29 1 0 0 
			 Hampshire 32 0 0 1 
			 Hertfordshire 34 3 0 13 
			 Humberside 15 0 0 2 
			 Kent 35 2 0 1 
			 Lancashire 71 7 0 9 
			 Leicestershire 11 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 11 0 0 2 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 90 8 2 7 
			 Metropolitan 228 0 1 0 
			 Norfolk 3 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 7 0 0 1 
			 Northamptonshire 6 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 49 1 2 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 20 1 1 0 
			 South Yorkshire 79 1 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 24 9 1 7 
			 Suffolk 6 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 5 0 0 1 
			 Sussex 17 1 3 3 
			 Thames Valley 11 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 5 10 0 0 
			 West Mercia 30 0 1 5 
			 West Midlands 24 1 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 34 6 1 0 
			 Wiltshire 2 1 0 1 
			 Dyfed Powys 2 0 0 0 
			 Gwent 14 0 0 1 
			 North Wales 48 3 0 3 
			 South Wales 21 1 0 0 
			 England and Wales 1,125 69 13 70

Special Constables: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there are in the Metropolitan Police Service; how many there were in each year since 1997; how many  (a) were and  (b) are civilian staff serving in the Metropolitan Police Service in each year; how many undertook their training and their special constable duties during their normal working hours as civilian staff; and how many received time off in lieu or extra holiday time for their duties as special constables.

Tony McNulty: The available data for the number of special constables in the Metropolitan Police Service in each year since 1997 are given in the table. These data are also published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series "Police Service Strength, England and Wales".
	The remainder of the information requested is not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Special constable strength( 1)  for the Metropolitan Police Service as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 
			  31 March:  Special constables 
			 1997 1,714 
			 1998 1,282 
			 1999 1,138 
			 2000 758 
			 2001 774 
			 2002 680 
			 2003 692 
			 2004 742 
			 2005 697 
			 2006(2) 1,221 
			 (1) Total strength is based on headcount figures. (2) The MPS have held a number of successful special constable recruitment campaigns over the years, the most recent of which ran throughout 2005 and would have been responsible for the increase from 2004-05 to 2005-06. Additionally, some of these changes is thought to be explained by the move from paper-based to computerised recording systems.

Written Questions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to answer question 107856, on DC Stephen Oake, tabled on 30 November 2006 by the hon. Member for West Bromwich East.

John Reid: holding answer 6 March 2007
	I replied to the hon. Member on 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1576W.
	
		
			  Table A1: Number of persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) within the offence group "violence against the person" by pol ice force area, 1999-20 00 to 2004-05 
			  Number 
			  Police force area  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,327 4,325 4,304 4,458 5,060 7,056 
			 Bedfordshire (1)3,390 (1)2,470 (1)2,405 (1)3,540 4,440 5,420 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,311 2,353 2,316 2,239 2,574 3,626 
			 Cheshire 4,138 3,794 3,536 3,676 (1)3,335 5,935 
			 City of London n/a n/a 357 451 405 635 
			 Cleveland 2,949 n/a 3,210 2,918 3,809 4,893 
			 Cumbria 2,369 2,208 2,325 2,743 2,951 4,348 
			 Derbyshire 5,277 4,917 5,082 6,580 7,610 9,478 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6,289 6,480 7,315 8,958 9,340 (2)10,860 
			 Dorset 1,935 1,869 2,265 2,122 2,558 3,804 
			 Durham n/a n/a n/a n/a 3,640 4,127 
			 Essex 5,425 6,597 7,162 7,117 8,274 (3)9,220 
			 Gloucestershire 2,058 1,963 2,093 2,498 2,707 3,663 
			 Greater Manchester 11,782 11,124 10,536 11,215 14,593 19,020 
			 Hampshire 9,002 8,254 7,914 8,422 11,100 13,376 
			 Hertfordshire 3,187 3,250 3,366 3,598 4,583 7,576 
			 Humberside n/a 4,209 4,295 4,304 4,421 4,998 
			 Kent 6,912 6,128 6,431 7,183 8,549 9,235 
			 Lancashire 8,511 9,153 10,859 10,518 14,284 18,908 
			 Leicestershire 3,044 3,007 3,219 3,173 3,210 4,361 
			 Lincolnshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Merseyside 9,620 10,417 9,808 11,494 15,139 12,804 
			 Metropolitan Police 35,365 32,395 31,691 34,348 36,850 (2)44,248 
			 Norfolk 4,059 4,141 4,063 3,987 4,328 5,321 
			 North Yorkshire 5,112 4,823 5,038 6,304 7,563 (2)5,144 
			 Northamptonshire 2,813 2,492 2,455 2,744 3,024 3,849 
			 Northumbria 9,045 8,564 9,377 10,447 11,589 (2)14,630 
			 Nottinghamshire 8,532 8,367 8,624 7,766 8,850 9,108 
			 South Yorkshire 6,078 6,525 6,544 7,465 8,580 10,791 
			 Staffordshire n/a n/a n/a n/a 8,140 9,365 
			 Suffolk 2,279 2,578 2,628 3,026 3,588 4,285 
			 Surrey 2,966 3,826 3,504 4,559 5,504 6,070 
			 Sussex 965 4,749 (4)5,279 5,475 9,337 10,731 
			 Thames Valley 7,824 7,992 7,910 8,814 9,995 15,293 
			 Warwickshire 1,260 1,280 1,640 1,788 2,266 2,485 
			 West Mercia 4,737 4,047 4,802 5,294 6,754 8,114 
			 West Midlands n/a n/a n/a (1)23,053 24,848 23,962 
			 West Yorkshire 12,193 15,420 12,362 14,971 17,408 20,606 
			 Wiltshire 2,357 2,422 2,482 2,440 2,364 2,229 
			 Dyfed Powys n/a 2,332 2,672 3,127 3,635 3,512 
			 Gwent n/a n/a n/a 2,905 3,654 4,982 
			 North Wales 2,907 2,738 2,705 3,596 5,578 6,591 
			 South Wales 1,472 7,613 8,773 9,808 10,353 11,653 
			
			 England and Wales (5)255,500 (5)259,500 (5)259,400 (5)284,000 (5)332,100 (5)395,800 
			 n/a = not available (1) Revised since initial publication with HOSB. (2) Revised since publication of annual HOSB. DATA as issued in HO S95 publication "Statistics on Race & cjs, 2005". (3) Excludes divisions on NSPIS Custody (Rayleigh, Southend and partly Basildon). (4) Covers a period of 46 weeks only—six weeks data were lost due to IT problems within the October/December quarter 2001. (5) Estimate.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collections processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B1: The number of persons found guilty at all courts after being arrested and charged by the police( 1)  for violence against the person offences in England and Wales, by financial year 1997-98 to 2004-05( 2,3,4,5,6) 
			  Police force area  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,758 3,569 3,932 4,109 3,981 4,202 4,777 5,067 
			 Bedfordshire 744 1,614 1,527 1,504 1,388 1,505 1,820 2,078 
			 Cambridgeshire 540 1,401 1,490 1,596 1,615 1,918 1,796 2,116 
			 Cheshire 1,971 4,172 4,050 4,038 3,429 3,702 3,725 3,424 
			 Cleveland 1,123 2,007 1,898 1,682 1,834 2,043 2,445 2,874 
			 Cumbria 1,359 2,922 2,755 2,283 2,257 2,228 2,453 2,753 
			 Derbyshire 1,802 3,567 3,641 3,488 3,525 3,845 4,377 4,739 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,185 4,407 4,586 4,673 4,628 5,481 5,587 5,760 
			 Dorset 515 1,283 1,372 1,413 1,314 1,519 1,647 2,267 
			 Durham 1,386 3,115 3,700 3,381 3,447 3,272 3,131 2,449 
			 Essex 2,200 4,554 4,424 4,256 4,343 4,518 4,932 6,131 
			 Gloucestershire 718 1,510 1,762 1,846 1,917 1,945 1,873 1,923 
			 Greater Manchester 5,882 13,185 14,071 14,250 13,374 13,380 14,379 17,259 
			 Hampshire 2,674 6,559 7,449 7,237 7,038 7,450 8,183 9,124 
			 Hertfordshire 909 1,911 2,068 2,034 2,079 2,348 2,710 3,162 
			 Humberside 1,882 4,043 4,070 3,968 3,448 3,937 4,721 4,583 
			 Kent 2,353 5,525 5,351 4,847 4,404 4,363 5,006 5,002 
			 Lancashire 4,126 8,308 7,140 6,707 7,039 7,214 7,358 7,138 
			 Leicestershire 1,892 3,700 3,937 3,867 4,161 5,001 5,029 4,691 
			 Lincolnshire 1,132 2,212 2,255 1,937 2,070 2,376 2,591 2,802 
			 London, City of 100 115 202 163 182 260 252 243 
			 Merseyside 2,592 5,150 4,618 4,980 5,419 5,837 7,486 7,833 
			 Metropolitan Police 11,790 23,838 22,367 21,643 21,985 25,618 26,078 27,670 
			 Norfolk 1,509 3,254 3,064 2,010 2,701 2,682 3,066 2,963 
			 Northamptonshire 897 1,949 2,093 1,792 1,591 1,772 1,906 2,099 
			 Northumbria 3,122 6,959 7,510 6,776 6,584 6,543 7,019 7,124 
			 North Yorkshire 1,711 3,228 3,516 3,274 3,134 3,181 3,568 3,910 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,623 5,105 5,292 5,448 4,765 4,568 4,977 4,813 
			 South Yorkshire 2,320 4,307 4,231 4,505 4,633 4,807 5,295 5,753 
			 Staffordshire 1,718 3,527 3,062 2,532 1,538 2,754 2,659 3,036 
			 Suffolk 849 1,633 1,797 1,707 1,679 1,674 1,677 2,405 
			 Surrey 921 1,657 1,447 1.270 1,345 1,369 1,806 2,445 
			 Sussex 1,685 3,450 3,300 3,486 4,034 4,535 4,593 5,000 
			 Thames Valley 2,165 4,618 4,631 4,678 4,641 4,965 5,228 5,237 
			 Warwickshire 796 1,496 1,105 1,048 1,197 1,251 1,196 1,291 
			 West Mercia 1,771 3,448 3,486 3,252 3,770 3,765 4,344 4,867 
			 West Midlands 5,038 11,254 12,485 13,909 16,120 17,116 16,682 16,979 
			 West Yorkshire 3,382 7,776 8,756 8,076 6,922 7,307 9,087 12,422 
			 Wiltshire 749 1,757 1,828 1,711 1,901 2,009 2,241 2,201 
			 Dyfed Powys 1,180 2,863 3,254 2,809 2,497 2.529 2,661 2,239 
			 Gwent 1,876 3,754 4,072 4,010 3,355 3,354 2,950 3,015 
			 North Wales 1,489 3,118 2,810 2,722 2,661 2,891 3,084 3,467 
			 South Wales 3,504 7,181 7,617 7,355 7,552 8,481 8,673 8,941 
			  
			 England and Wales 90,938 191,001 194,021 188,272 187,497 201,515 215,068 231,295 
			 (1) All convictions in the Crown court are included (those arrested and charged by the police cannot be distinguished separately although they will make up the vast majority of people tried in the Crown court). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures, as they are considered sufficiently robust at this high level of analysis. (5) These data are for those persons proceeded against at magistrates courts that have resulted in a conviction for a recorded crime. (6) Includes all indictable offences within the violence against the person offence group as well as recordable summary violence against the person offence group  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Licensed Premises

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many businesses were found to be selling alcohol without a licence to do so in each district council area in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years; and what penalty was imposed in each case in which all proceedings are complete.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available in the form requested. The following information has been collated on the basis of two offences:
	selling intoxicating liquor without a licence; and
	licensee making liquor available in unlicensed premises.
	Information is presented by district command unit. PSNI do not have records relating to penalties imposed in all cases.
	
		
			   District command unit  Penalty imposed 
			 2001 (2) Belfast North Community service order 
			  Belfast North Bound over 
			
			 2002 (6) Belfast North No court appearances or court results 
			  Belfast South Imprisonment 
			  Larne No court appearances or court results 
			  Newry and Mourne No court appearances or court results 
			  Newry and Mourne No court appearances or court results 
			  Newry and Mourne Cautioned 
			
			 2003 (7) Armagh Withdrawn 
			  Armagh Withdrawn 
			  Belfast East Cautioned 
			  Belfast South 3 actual or scheduled court appearances but no court result 
			  Belfast South 3 cautioned 
			  Belfast South Fine 
			  Newry and Mourne Cautioned 
			
			 2004 (6) Belfast East Cautioned 
			  Belfast North Cautioned 
			  Belfast South No court appearances or court results 
			  Belfast South Fine 
			  Coleraine Bound over 
			  Fermanagh Fine 
			
			 2005 (5) Newtownards Cautioned 
			  Belfast East Fine 
			  Belfast East Withdrawn 
			  Belfast East Withdrawn 
			  Magherafelt Withdrawn 
			
			 2006 (4) Banbridge Fine 
			  Belfast East Fine 
			  Craigavon Imprisonment 
			  Craigavon Imprisonment